The Tiger and the Cougar
by BlueSapphire92
Summary: PRJF - Casey's sister has come to town. What kind of secrets will she bring with her? How much of their past will be revealed?
1. The Tiger

Velvet paws touching the ground

Leaving prints to be found

Strong muscles rolling under skin

Elicting fear within

Stripes form patterns on his pelt

His roar in every heart is felt

White fur frames a kingly head

Dangerous claws, waiting to shred

A snarl revealing daggers, pure white

Deadly fangs ready to bite

Wisdom reflected in ancient eyes

A powerful beast of enormous size

A dangerous power display

Soundlessly stalking his prey

Lashing out in a blur of red

Bringing instantaneous death

Striking out in blind rage

Impossible to cage

A noble spirit, untamed and free

I am him and he is me

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"You're going down!" RJ heard a familiar voice yell as he entered the living quarteres.

He smiled when he saw Lilly and Theo sparring, meeting eachother blow by blow. He moved his gaze to the person sitting on the side. Though it was obvious he'd been watching them, he wasn't anymore. Instead the tiger was staring at his hands, lost in thought.

Xxx

_He was sitting on the porch in front of the house. Daylight had long faded and the flickering lamppost further down the street was the only light in the darkness. He stared in front of him, eyes seeing things that were gone. He could remembered her smile, her warm voice that always offered free advice, her arms that gave him comfort when he needed it the most. But then he would remember her shocked face, her eyes filled with fear and pain. He could still see her blooded hand reaching out to him; still hear her say his name with despair that tore his heart apart. He relived that moment every day, every night. As a nightmare when he desperately needed his sleep because he hadn't rested in days. Or as an image that would appear when he finally let his guard down. It ripped him apart every time again. But a part of him didn't want to forget, a part of him wanted to hold on to that final moment before she died, because it was all he had left._

_He didn't look when the door behind him opened, nor when it closed again. He waited for the soft footsteps to reach him and heard her sit down next to him. He looked up for the first time and smiled, she smiled back but it didn't reach her eyes, just like he knew his didn't either. She studied him carefully and he couldn't help but avert his gaze when the concern in those familiar brown eyes became too much. A hand reached out and lifted his chin, turning it to meet her steady gaze. She tilted his head and touched the right side of his face with her other hand. He hissed as her delicate fingers brushed over the bruise. She moved closer trying to inspect the damage. He pulled back when she pushed to hard and she sighed. She ruffled his hair and he let out an annoyed huff that brought a genuine smile to her face. Her smile turned into something more mischievous and she pulled out something from under her coat. He let out a short laugh as he saw what it was. She opened the bottle of vodka and took a long draft._

_He watched her incredulously. "How did you even get that past dad?" _

_She smiled and brought her voice down to a whisper. "You have you're secrets, bro and I have mine."_

_He chuckled and made a grab for the bottle but she pulled back. He looked at her for an explanation and couldn't help but laugh at the amused twinkle in her eyes. "What do you want?"_

_She grinned and pointed at her cheek. He faked annoyance and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She laughed and handed him the bottle. He brought the bottle to his lips and let the liquid flow down his throat, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "Hey!" She said pulling the bottle out of his grasp. "Leave some for me!" _

_He wiped his mouth, smiling. "There's plenty left."_

_She smiled, putting the bottle next to her. "This is so wrong."_

"_Why?"_

"_Well I'm supposed to be the responsible one and here I am feeding my little brother strong liquor."_

_He glared at her playfully. "I'm not little."_

_She snorted. "Are to."_

"_Am not."_

"_Are to."_

"_Am not!"_

_She broke his resolve by pulling him close. "Are too." He gave in and leaned against her, resting his head on her shoulder. She ran her hand through his hair and she could almost feel him purr. She smiled. "It's okay, my little tiger. I'm here." She could swear she heard him mutter 'I'm not little' before he fell into a peaceful slumber._

Xxx

"Good morning." He said loudly as he made his way down to his 'kittens'. The fighting duo barely noticed him, completely emerged in their power struggle. But the other cub's head shot up, snapped out of whatever he was thinking of. The teenager watch him approach carefully. RJ sat down on the floor next to him. "So…" he said. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

RJ wan't convinced. "You're looking kinda out of it."

He sighed. "I'm fine RJ. Just didn't sleep well, I guess."

"Right." He said not believing that was all. "You know I'm always here if you wanna talk, okay?"

Casey looked at him skeptically and just nodded. "Thanks."

He smiled, patting the teen's shoulder and got up. He walked away, wondering what was really on the tiger's mind.

**So...What do you think? Good? Bad? Oh and I'd also like to know which pairings you'd like to see in this story. **


	2. The Cougar

Agile and slender

Fierce yet tender

Tawny fur with silver tones

Dark paws avoiding loose stones

With measured steps she walks

Through the dense underbush she stalks

She hisses, purrs and growls

Yet she's silent as she prowls

Patiently in waiting she lay

Yellow eyes following prey

Quick and daring

Lips curling, teeth baring

Sprinting at the target she chose

Claws extending, jaws snapping close

Ears twitching on a round head

Her wail's the harbinger of death

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_She picked up her brother's__ red sketchbook, lying on the table. Sipping from her glass of strawberry juice, she started flipping through the pages. Some of the drawings brought a smile to her face. There was one of her family. She and her brother sitting on the ground, leaning against each other, their parents standing behind them. There was one of her mother embracing her brother and if you looked hard enough you could see a large tiger head softly drawn over the whole page. She found one of a tiger and a puma playing and chuckled. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She cried out. Dark spots clouding her vision. Feeling weak, she lost her grip on the sketchbook and it fell to the ground. The glass of juice following quickly. She dropped to her knees, trying to catch her breath. As the pain slowly faded away she looked around. Her gaze fell on her brother's sketchbook. It had fallen open, red liquid staining the drawing of Casey and her mother. _

oOoOo

The gang was just closing up when Lily heard someone enter. "We're closed." She looked up to see strangely familiar brown eyes regarding her. "Can I help you?" She asked politely.

The girl smiled. "I'm looking for Casey Rhodes."

Lily took a closer look at the person standing in front of her. The girl didn't look much older than herself and was wearing pale jeans and silver converse. An open white button-up shirt revealed a beige tank-top underneath. She was holding a silver duffle bag and her light-brown hair was pulled into a pony tail, there seemed to be a streak of silver in it. _That's strange_. Lily thought. She opened her mouth to say something but someone cut her of. "Ava?" The young woman turned towards the voice, mouth opening and closing again. Then she smiled broadly. Throwing her bag on the ground, she ran towards him and embracing him tightly. He lifted her up, laughing, spun her around and set her down again. She giggled and let go. RJ cleared his throat and Casey turned to see them all staring at them.

"Care to introduce us?" Lily said harshly, failing to keep the jealousy out of her voice.

"Oh, right." Casey said startled. "Guys this is Ava, my sister. Ava these are my friends."He pointed at them one by one. "Lily, RJ, Theo and Fran." There was a series of 'hi's' and 'how are you's' and Lily couldn't help but feel stupid.

"So, what brings you to town?" Lily asked, trying to make up for being rude.

Ava smiled and turned her head to look at her brother. "Visiting my favourite brother." She ruffled his hair and he laughed, swatting her hand away.

"I'm your only brother." She shrugged. "How long are you staying?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I guess I'll see as it goes."

"Still traveling the world, living one day at the time?" he said, knowingly.

"Yep." She smiled. "Actually i just came back from Paris last week."

"I've always wanted to go to there." Lily squealed.

"You should definetly go, it's a beautiful city." Ava said.

"Maybe when I'm older."

"Why not now? You're 18 right?"

"Yeah but..." Lily bit her lip. "I've got uh..."

"Responsibilities." Casey sprung in.

His sister raised an eyebrow. "Okaayy" She smiled. "I should go."

"Where?" Casey asked.

"A hotel of course."

"That's not necessary." RJ said. "You can stay here."

"Really?" Both Casey and Ava asked surprised.

"Yeah." Lily said smiling. "Then I won't be the only girl."

"Okay, so is that okay with you Theo?" No answer. The blue ranger was staring at Ava. "Theo?" RJ said louder this time.

Wha..." Theo looked startled.

"I will assume you don't have a problem with Ava staying here?"

He blushed. "N...no. It's uh okay."

Lily giggled, her friend just shot her a disbelieving look.

"Okay, who else is hungry? I'm starving. Let's go eat." Rj said as he left the shop. Theo caught himself staring at Ava again as the girls followed. He looked up into Casey's eyes. He blinked, for a moment he could have sworn he saw tiger eyes glaring back him.

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**Review!?**


	3. The Secret

**Sorry it took so long, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for all the reviews.**

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What secrets do you hide in the eyes that burn with fire

Though the truth might be harsh, you're still a liar

Trust never came easy for us yet you continue your deceit

I try to see through your mask to only find defeat

We used to be so close but we drifted apart

Still I love you and it's breaking my heart

Yet it seems you do not wish to make amends

Was I wrong to think we were once friends?

You vanquished my dreams and told me to leave

Well I needed you, you back-stabbing thief

I will never tell you my pain, I wouldn't dare

Because a moment with you is already so rare

So keep on believing that I forgave you

I do not want to make you sad too

We were a family, sister and a brother

Was I really a fool to think we loved each other?

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They were sitting at the table, eating their meal. Which wasn't to bad, she had to admit. They made occasional small talk but the pauses in between were grating on her nerves. The silence made her uncomfortable, it was filled with tension and so was her company. They were on guard, it seemed that they expected something to happen any moment. Holding back another sigh, she looked up, wondering what secrets they were hiding. She chided herself, secrets… there's no conspiracy here. It must me my imagination. She moved her gaze to her brother and as if sensing it he look up. There was a flash of sadness in his eyes but it disappeared so quickly, she wondered if it had been real. She felt a sting of regret, realizing that she could not read her brother like she used to. Something tore at her heart when he ignored her inquiring glance and redirected his attention back to his plate. The girl with the yellow shirt, Lily she reminded herself, took a sip of her water and smiled at her. "Do you like the food?"Ava smiled back, mentally thanking the girl for breaking the silence. "Yes thanks it's great."

"So Casey said you traveled the world. You must've seen a lot of places, then?"

"You could say I've seen my share of the world. It fascinating really how people from different cultures act. I always try to learn their ways of life. Of course…" she continued, smiling, "Nightlife is a part of that " The girl laughed while her brother snorted.

"So what did you do in Paris?"

oOoOo

_The black-__clad figure crouched in the shadows, amber eyes searching her surroundings for threats. A gloved hand reached out to steady herself as she leaned further over the edge to observe the scene below her. There was only one man standing guard before the door. She smiled, this would be easy. She soundlessly lowered herself to the ground, careful to stay in the shadows. The veil of darkness concealed her as she approached her prey. She moved swiftly and attacked, a gleaming silver dagger was the last thing her opponent saw._

_With a feline grace she stalked through the corridors; carefully avoiding the patrols. Finally arriving at the door she sou__ght she slipped inside the room and carefully closed the door behind her. The chamber was plunged in darkness but it did not bother her. Her eyes seemed to glow as she cautiously navigated through the room. Approaching her target she tightened her grip on the dagger. As she lifted it above the sleeping figure, her feline spirit stirred. Suddenly alarmed she swiftly twirled around; just in time to stop the blow aimed at her head. Estimating her situation she had only a flash second to observe her attacker. He was large and muscular , dressed in dark, common garb. His hair was brown and shaggy and deep brown eyes regarded her from underneath heavy brows. She sensed the restless animal spirit in the man and new this was actually her target. Looking back at the bed she realized there was nothing but pillows underneath the sheets. She cursed herself, how could she not have sensed it. Moving backwards from the man she struck a fighting pose, her dagger ready to strike. The man's smile made her shiver in disgust. Growling in annoyance she attacked but her opponent grabbed her arm and easily threw her to the ground. Knowing there was no way she could win from this man with pure strength she decided is was best to rely on her speed. She struck out in a blur. The man evaded her moves yet was too slow to stop the blade from cutting his arm._

_He sneered and she could see his muscles tense underneath the tanned skin. Glowing clouds gathered around his body, slowly taking on the shape of a huge brown bear. He threw his arms forward and she tensed as the transparent bear charged at her. Furring her brows in concentration she also unleashed her animal spirit. The beasts screamed as they collided. The bear swatted at the feline with a heavy, clawed paw, while her Cougar spirit agilely sprung out of the way, sinking her teeth in the bears flesh. She tore her eyes from the spirit battle and focused once more on her target. This time he was the first to strike, she avoided the forceful blows with the same agility her cougar spirit possessed. Landing a series of hard blows and quick slashes, the man began to stagger, to large to keep up with her. Smiling in victory she brought the dagger down in one smooth movement, burying the blade deep in his broad chest. Pulling it back out, she let the now lifeless body fall to the ground. Mission accomplished._

oOoOo

"Ava?" A voice pulled her back to the present. She turned to look at the girl, noticing her brother's concerned stare. "What did you say?" She asked as normal as possible, cursing herself for her lack of focus.

"What did you do in Paris?" Lily repeated. Ava was relieved to notice that there was no sign of frustration in her tone. It wouldn't do good to piss of her brother's friends so soon.

"A lot." She said, smiling. "It's a very beautiful place, especially at night. It was really quite the experience."

"I can imagine." The girl said, a wishful expression on her face.

Ava smiled sweetly. _I don't think you can._


	4. The Faded Eyes

**So another chapter's finally up xD I have a part of the next one already written so it shouldn't be too long. I'm really sorry I'm such a bad updater and I hope you still want to read this story. I'm really grateful for all those that reviewed, I appreciate it. So this is it... enjoy!**

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I believe something inside of you dies

When you watch the life fade from someone's eyes

No one understands the way you feel

They can imagine but for you it's real

An image etched forever in your mind

Looking for oblivion it will never find

A desperate soul shouting without words

A silent scream of unspoken hurt

And the tears that fall bring no solace

And no dream can replace what you miss

The guilt a burden you alone must carry

With the painful reminder of what'll never be

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She eyed the practice mat and weapons oddly, raising an inquiring brow at her companion. "Rj has a thing for martial arts." He explained.

"Really?" Was this why Casey had chosen to stay and work here? It would make sense. "What about you?"

"I uh… Well lets just say it rubbed off on us. You know, we picked up a few things, asked him to teach us." She didn't need her training to know the question had made him nervous and though she sensed he wasn't really lying, it wasn't the complete truth either.

"Cool." She said smiling, noticing he looked a little flustered. She placed one of her elegant hands on his arm, feeling the muscle tense underneath his skin. She was not a naïve girl and knew very well the effect she was having on him. She was flattered but didn't plan on acting on the attraction between them. But that didn't mean she couldn't flirt a little, did it? Though she had a feint suspicion that Casey wouldn't like it. "Theo…" She said, stepping back "I think I'm gonna go to bed now." He nodded at her and she smiled, turning in the direction of the spare room they'd readied for her. "Good night." She said, her voice a soft whisper but he heard her anyway.

"Good night."

She laid her self down on the matres and sighed, remembering the events of the evening. After dinner almost everyone had excused themselves, claiming they'd had a busy day and were all very tired. Only. Even her little brother who she could clearly remember having an endless energy supply had retired for the night. She had felt a flash of concern then and something alike suspicion. Having a job must be wearing him down she had concluded but couldn't help but wonder if there was something else going on. Calm down, girl. She chided herself. Seems like Alex was right, I do need a break.

oOoOo

"_Ava?" She ignored the inquiring voice of her best friend and walked towards her desk. She didn't bother to sit as she looked up another file on her computer. 'Ian Shato, male, 26, fox.' Yes, she remembered him, one of the assassin of __the Superior Lifeform Alliance that had been evading their attempts at elimination. He does his animal spirit justice. She thought to herself. If she got her hands on that sneaky son of a …_

"_Ava." She sighed as the file was snatched from her hands and gave Alex an annoyed glare. "Come one," His smile did not help suppress her irritation. "You're gonna work yourself to dead."_

"_I need to…" _

"_Relax." He cut in._

_She lifted a hand to rub her tired eyes. "I'm busy."_

"_No, you're just distracting yourself." Damn his perceptiveness. "Tell me what's really on your mind."_

_She sighed, the corner of her lip twitching in humor as he grinned at her. "You know me too well."_

_He nodded. "So?" He asked impatiently._

"_It's my brother…"_

_He gave her an understanding look. "You miss him?"_

_Regret twisted in her chest and she swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. "Yeah." She said softly, smiling in gratitude as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder._

"_You need a break." She could here the concern in his voice._

_She exhaled heavily, already knowing her protest would not help. "I'm fine."_

"_No, you're not." He pulled her into his arms. "Ask for leave, Ava, go visit your brother."_

oOoOo

So now she was here and for the first time in her life she doubted her place in her brother's life. He had been happy to see her, she knew that but they'd grown apart. She missed him, missed the little kid that used bounce around the room, the teen that used to laugh with her about silly things, missed the way he used to smile without hurt colouring his eyes. She knew what had gone wrong, knew it all too well. Guilt spread through her once more and she felt tears rise up in her eyes. They could've saved the boy he used to be, could've helped him past that horrible night. But her father hadn't seen it that way, in his drunken stupor he had constantly ripped more parts of that boy away. He hadn't cared about the suffering he had brought to the already fragile heart, hadn't cared about anything but his own sorrow. Her life hadn't been easy either but bruises faded in time while the blame he had thrown at her brother would haunt him forever. She hated herself because deep down she was glad that it wasn't her who had been with mom that night. She closed her eyes, knowing she had hurt him too even if it had been for his own good.

oOoOo

_He was sitting in his room, starring at the drawing paper in front of him that stubbornly remained blank. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't put that pencil to the page without remembering her. She was the one who had bought him his first sketchbook, who had been even more excited than him when he had won a contest at school. Closing his eyes he desperately tried to control the different emotions raging inside him. He had looked forward to this his whole life and now all he could think about was that she wouldn't be there with him. She wouldn't help him train, wouldn't look after him. No one would even know who he was. And though these thoughts stirred the sadness that was permanently etched in his heart, he was glad that now he'd finally be able to see the place were his mother had grown into the strong, loving woman he had known. He was suddenly startled from his thoughts as the door swung open. "Can't you knock?" He asked his sister with mock sternness while desperately trying to control his rapid beating heart._

_His playfulness disappeared when she did not retorted at his comment. He regarded her carefully, taking in the determined frown on her face and the tormented look in her eyes. "You can't go." She said and there was no mistaking what she meant._

"_What?" He asked incredulously._

"_I don't want you to go." As if that was an explanation._

"_You're not serious." He said though he could tell by the tone of her voice that she was._

"_I am. It's too dangerous."_

_He couldn't believe this. "Dangerous? It's training, Ava, not war."_

_He knew that she wanted him to understand but would leave him no choice in the matter. "You're not going, Casey. That's final."_

_His blood boiled in anger, how could she take this from him? He needed to go. "It's not your decision to make!" He cried out at her injustice._

"_Yes it is! I'm the oldest." She yelled and he shrank back in his chair, not seeing the flash of hurt that movement brought to her eyes. _

"_But mum said…" He needed to convince her._

"_Well newsflash, our mother's dead!" Her callous words were like daggers piercing his heart. He pushed back the tears in his eyes, avoiding her remorseful gaze. "I'm sorry, it's just… You don't need it, Casey. You can keep practicing what mom taught us, I just can't allow you to go to the academy."_

"_Why?" He didn't understand, didn't want to. He needed to go._

"_Because it's dangerous, someone might recognize you. You know it had to be one of them that told the SLA about mother. Nobody else knew she was a part of…"_

"_I know." He cut her off. "But why would they recognize me. They've never seen me and mom used her maiden name when she was there."_

_She shook her head. "It's too risky."_

"_Ava…" He pleaded but he knew her mind was already made up._

"_No."_


	5. The Betrayal

~ The Betrayal ~

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Casey knew his sister was worried about something. He could read it in her eyes when they met his. He heard it in the tone of her voice as she spoke to him.

"Good morning, darling." She cooed, ignoring her brother's glare and smirking when she heard Lily's muffled laughter. She looked at the pile of food on her brother plate and grinned. _Something's never change._ She sat down, absentmindedly smearing something on her toast as she let her eyes roam along the room. Her brother looked more like the boy she remembered, stuffing his face with food, but something was still off. Actually something was off with his friends. They just seemed… different, strange she would even dare to say. Looking at them they seemed normal and she would probably not even give them a second glance if she passed them on the street. But her cougar spirit was restless, as if there was a secret she should know. And no matter how she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something important.

"Aren't you going to eat?" There was a tinge of concern in her brother's voice and she realized she'd been staring at her toast for a long time. Mustering up the most real-looking smile she could she started munching on the side, not tasting a thing as she remembered the reason her brother seemed so different now. There was an understanding in his eyes that hadn't been there before their mother had died and a ache she knew all too well. She longed to take it away, to fight the demons she was sure still haunted him, to cradle him in her arms and pretend she hadn't betrayed him.

oOoOo

_A piece of paper was thrown on his desk. __"What is it?" He asked his sister._

"_I thought that would be obvious. It's a flyer for a boarding school."_

_He picked it up, feeling something assort of panic creeping in his voice. __"So why are you giving it to me?"_

_Her face gave him no insight of her thoughts. __"You're going to attend this school."_

_Dread twisted in his stomach, she could__n't mean it. "What! No…"_

"_You don't have a choice, Casey. I'm moving away and I don't want you to stay here."_

_He looked at her with trepidation __"Moving away?" He hated the way his voice wavered._

_She shifted almost unnoticeable. __"There are things that require my attention."_

_Realization dawned__ on him and he felt a surge of anger. And she'd told him training at the Pai Zhuq academy was too dangerous. "You're a part of the SO aren't you."_

_His sister's eyes grew cold, her face blank and he couldn't stop the shiver that ran along his spine. __"Pack your bags." Her tone left no room for argument. He watched her leave, trying to ignore the ache her rejection left in his heart._

oOoOo

"You know, you don't have to eat if you're not hungry. There's no reason to keep chewing on the same piece."

She chuckled, cursing herself for being so distracted lately. Maybe it was for the best that she had taken a break from her job. This brought another question to her mind, why hadn't her brother mentioned it. The only contact they'd had over the last year was through the postcards she'd sent him and the couple of letters she had gotten in return. She knew Casey didn't believe her story about traveling the world, he'd guessed from the start what she was doing. So why wasn't he bothering her with questions. Maybe he'd given up.

"Seriously." Her brother's voice cut through her thoughts once more. "What did that toast do to you."

She rolled her eyes, looking at the crumbled pieces of the toast she'd unknowingly teared apart. "I was imagining it was you."

"Me? Whatever for? I never do anything wrong."

She snorted. "There's not a single soul on this planet that could be convinced of that."

He grinned and she could help but smile back, she'd missed this. "Even though you are really, really, really annoying." She teased. "You're still my favorite brother."

He chuckled, his eyes shining with mirth. "I'm your only brother."

She smiled again, not sure why he always had that effect on her. "Whatever, Tiger."

Neither noticed the suspicious and confused glances thrown their way . _What did she just call him?_

They had no time to react thought because that very minute a shrill sound alerted the team of an unwelcome presence in the city.


End file.
